Oscar Piastri’s mum shares the immediate ‘problem’ they faced after he signed for McLaren

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Being told that you’re signing your first contract with a Formula 1 team should best news any young driver can receive.

Years of hard work and dedication are finally set to pay off but for McLaren star Oscar Piastri, there was also a sudden realisation.

Nicole Piastri, Oscar Piastri’s mum, was speaking on The Red Flags Podcast about the moment that the young Australian told her he would be joining the grid in 2023.

Piastri has enjoyed a monumental rise through the ranks in recent years.

The 23-year-old was part of Alpine’s academy and won Formula 3 and Formula 2 in his rookie years.

Despite his impeccable record, Piastri had to be patient and sit on the sidelines for a year before becoming embroiled in some major F1 drama before he’d even taken part in his first competitive session.

McLaren swooped in to snatch Piastri from Alpine as they were preparing to offer him a race seat and given their respective positions in the Constructors’ Championship, it was a wise move from the Australian to make the switch.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

However, when Piastri broke the news that he would be joining McLaren, he and his mum spotted an immediate issue.

It meant that he would be replacing fellow countryman and one of F1’s most popular drivers Daniel Ricciardo.

It wasn’t long until Formula 1 once again had two Australians on the grid the following year.

READ MORE: Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Oscar Piastri’s mum spotted immediate ‘problem’ with him replacing Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren

Asked about the moment she discovered her son was going to be a Formula 1 driver, Piastri said: “It was a Saturday night and I was Ubering his sisters and their friends to different parties and he’d FaceTimed.

“So I don’t know that went on for maybe an hour and then when the last kid had got out of the car, he’s like, mom, is everybody out of the car now?

“I thought he was going to do something really bad and he goes, mum, just you might want to pull over. I’m like, oh, no. What is happening?

“He goes, I just wanted to tell you that I’ve just signed my first F1 contract.

“I’m like oh my God, so what colour are we wearing? Are we wearing like navy and pink because I’m thinking Alpine and he’s like, no?

“He’s like orange and I’m like, oh my God, McLaren because that was totally new to me, I did not see that coming.

“I was like, oh my God, that’s amazing and then it dawned on me what that meant and I was like, oh, no. Oh, no, wait.

“He’s nodding and I said, oh my God, Daniel. I love Daniel. And he’s like just deadpan.

“He’s like, yep, everybody loves Daniel, He’s like, that’s going to be a problem.”

Oscar then said that out of all the F1 drivers ever, Ricciardo is the worst one to replace.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Daniel Ricciardo is once again fighting for his Formula 1 future at RB

Piastri hadn’t even finished his first season with McLaren before signing a contract extension for the foreseeable future.

Given all the changes on the grid this year, McLaren will be glad they did as Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has admitted he would love to sign Piastri.

Ricciardo is in a much more precarious position with the RB team and has 10 race weekends left to secure his future on the grid.

Sergio Perez has been given a stay of execution at Red Bull for now and still has a contract for the 2025 F1 season.

Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda are also confirmed for next year meaning Ricciardo is theoretically up against Liam Lawson for the final seat for next season.

The next few races will likely determine how much longer Ricciardo is a Formula 1 driver.